This is the site for Australian visual journalist and writer Paul Amyes.

The smoke from the farmer’s burn off makes for some amazing sunsets in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia.

It’s that time of year again. The farmers of the Wheatbelt are burning their fields in preparation for sowing. The smoke hangs thick over the Avon Valley and makes for a quite unpleasant experience for anyone who suffers from respiratory ailments. The upside is that the smoke particles in the air make for rather splendid sunsets. I snapped this one on my phone while cycling home. The next few were all shot while going out to get some beer on my Olympus OMD EM1 with 12-40mm f2.8 lens.

The smoke from the farmer’s burn off makes for some amazing sunsets in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia.

Fields being burnt off prior to sowing seed. York, Western Australia.

The smoke and haze creates an apocalyptic atmosphere.

The road to Armageddon.

While making for some tremendous photos the practice puts a lot of carbon up into the atmosphere. Unfortunately Australian farmers will not stop the practice as this a far cheaper way of clearing fields than tilling. Profit always wins out.